One of the favorite stories I've heard my parents tell is about how, on the morning of their wedding, the whole crew of bridesmaids, groomsmen --- even the groom himself --- nearly missed getting to the church on time because they were so transfixed by a hip new television show they were watching in my dad's hotel room. That program? “Sesame Street.” When I was younger, having been raised on a steady diet of “Sesame Street” and its offspring, the idea of a bunch of grownups sitting around watching a kids' show seemed bizarrely funny to me.

In the historical and pop cultural context explained by Michael Davis in STREET GANG, however, the behavior of my parents' wedding party makes a whole lot more sense.